Dispensing apparatus



Nov. 10, 1953 H. R. TALMAGE 2,658,240

- UISPENSING APPARATUS Filed may 31, 1946 s sheets-sheet 1 Homan R. TALMHQE.

- INVENToR.

Nov. l0, 1953 H, R, TALMAGE 2,658,240

DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed May 51, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mir Flj. a 'a9 .s l5 "3 Z* A la ,84 149 |29 7 L85 4 l, 5 '37 9 5 IE5 4 9g 205 I' l 9'] g l l/9 H7 117 H5 K 209k "739 1i i l r :4 mi" au Homme R. Ta LMHGE INVENTOR.

NOV 10, 1953 H. R. TALMAGE 2,658,240

DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed May 3l, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 75 5o sa '858, f (III 'j e IHM 191' A 195 175 /93 L /55 7' 16.7 89 y Flj. @/J" 57 '-f'l57 r 79 les HOMER. R. TnLMAar:

INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 10, 1953 N `[TED PATENT l'()lFFiCE l2,658,240 DISPENSING APPRTUS Homer R. Talmage, v:Fort Wsyne,ln1.,ussgnbrato Bowser, Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., fa corporation `of Indiana 1 claim. 1

This invention relates to Va liquid dispensing device, in particular 'it 'relates to a y'device for transferring gasoline and other -liquid petroluin products from va bulk `storage tank "to Aa t'ru'ck transport for delivery.

At the present time it is 'customary :practice in building a bulk station'to insta-11 the tanks, build va pump house in which pumps, motors, starters and other equipment are vmounted Aon suitable bases and foundations. VIt is also neces'- sary to build a loading platform Aand fniount-fthe meters, hose y'supports and controlsjon the platform. of this represents Vconsiderable lcost especially when it is necessary -to procure carpenters, plumbers, frnillwri'ghts and other :highpriced labor tomake the installation.

Tt is one of the `objects o f the invention tto ^'p`ri duce a `"factory fabricated rbulk 'plant vunit which is self contained, that is, it contains within la housing and mounted upon a suitable frame work, the pump, meter, strainer, -lter, motor starter and other units necessary to deliver liquid upon being connected toa supply pipe. Furthermore, the platform is `huilt on the housing and provision "is made for 'attaching fa ladder vor "stair thereto so that the operator ycan easilvlrea'ch the platform. Where fa numbero'f 'grades 4of -li'quid or different liquids are handled, several units -m`a`y be mounted side by iside "so that their lpl'atfc` rrn`s forma continuous deck z'from which the required operations may be-carriedout.

Itis an object of this invention lto provi'de a unitary device for transferring the liquid 'fromthe tank itc the transport.

Itis another object of this invention 'to yprovide a device -for transferring accurately measured liqu-idfromfthe tank to the transport.

`It is still another object of this invention gto provide a device for transferring filtered liquid from the tank-to the transport.

Yet another object to provide a comb-ined filtering and air separation mechanism.

It is ly'et another object of the invention 'to provide a device for transferring liquid under control of a check controlled predetermined devlce.

It is yet'anotherobjectcf this inventiontoprovide a device `for transferring liquid from a tank to-a transport, vsaid device having fa platform, -the operating controls vof the device being 'elevated to a level with the platform.

It is yet another object of thefinvention yto provide 'an electrically operated liquid 'transfer device wherein `the .motor switch and the Adischarge nozzle may be locked AWithin the housing.

rhese other fobjects lwill lbecome apparent from ya `study of this specification andt'he drawigs `which l'aieattached hereto and Lmade apart neeeofand inlwhicn: v Figure -an 'elevation from the front for door-'sideof fthe-device with the greater l'portion of the y'doors removed.

Figure f2 is fan leie'va'tion of :the Iappa-rrai-tus fof Figure 1 vtaken `from the right Wi-th the housing and stair-'removed Figure i3 is fa l'plain view y'of #the switch and the s'vvithirterlock Figure 'il fis an -elvationfof th'e switch fand the switchiriterlookoffFie.

-Figbre k5 iis a seotional zview of the yfilter 'air separator vent valve.

'Figurei `'is LFElf-Wiring diagrinsh'owing the -motor,

the motor starter., theinanual switch, Iand lthe switch f the'oheok 'control'led fpredetermining mechanism.

Referring to 1 and i2 of l'the Adrawings the nuneral I vilsigrna.tei; a 'chassis having/a subs'tantialy s'ture nase f3 l[and uprights /5 .joined lte 7the base i:find supporting 5a fdeck plate :or iplat'- form "I alte achfof .lits/four corn ers.

i9 .'(lFi'gure 2) extends from the upright 6 -t'e vthe back upright fon each side of the fehassis iab'cut Jimid'way between the base andfthefeckrplatelnd the vends of -a Viplate fII rest upon and 'fare 'ifilxed Vto fth'e cross`me'rn'-ber-s. A channel -1-2 v4is Welded #inth'e Icenter fof .the `front of the ^3 and to the Ibottom ofthe 'deck plate 5I .andfoarries Ja lug @I4 hav-ing a hole Iii.

A philip "lfismounted upon a U-shaped fsu'pportf'li iavxhioh iis fxe'd -to and rises fromxthe ibase 3. pump shown is a rotary .positive dis' placement type-:With .fan integral ley-.pass valve.

llh'e is driven f'by .la "motor I 1, also mount'- e 3upon :the "baue, through Smotor sheave I9, 'belts 2 I and pump sheave 23.

The -pump y'suction inlet is connected through piping 125, fand fa fstr'a-iner 2-2'1 Yto the suction connectionfz.

?lfhf;,=1: 'urnp discharges through ,piping :'29 finto the under side fof the "combined ,-lt'e'r and air separator v3,I. fThezlter land Yair separator fcom- ;a rcylindrical shell 33 ,which is lsuspended fron the 'deck plate by hangers :32. The shell is tt'edrwth :a :ds'hed hea'd t35 welded in one end, whichfhead hasanoutlet coupling 3.6;andf-a gauge coupling (notshown -welded intogit.

A ilquid'etight .header 31 .is Welded into .fthe shell near the :head :35. "The v'header has .a plu-'- rality sof tapped lholes .#39 into .which :are .screwed lter .elements MSI. The filter elements shown are cylindrical in shape and extend into the inlet side of the shell which is connected to piping 29 by the coupling 43. A removable head 45 is bolted or clamped to a ring 41 welded to the exterior' of the shell near the end opposite the head 35. A pressure gauge 48 is piped into the gauge coupling in head 35 and another pressure gauge 48 is piped into the shell on the inlet side.

A valve 50 (Figures 1 and 5) is threaded into a coupling 5| which is welded into the top of the shell on the inlet side. The valve (see Figure 5) is comprised of a body 53, having an inlet 55. A seat 51 which is mutilated as shown at 58 to prevent complete closure of the valve, is formed at the inlet side of passage 59 and a chamber 6| is connected to the passage and to an outlet 63 which receives the pipe 65. A stud 61 has a head 68, a body 1|, and a threaded reduced portion 13 which screws into the boss in the body. A valve 11, having a tapered seat 18I slides on the study body, and a spring 8| urges said valve away from its seat.

The pipe 65 connects with a coupling 83 in the top head B4 of the float chamber 85. The float chamber in Figure 2 especially, is cylindrical in shape set with its axis vertical, and has a gas outlet 81 in the top head opening through conduit 88 to the atmosphere, and a liquid outlet 8| in the bottom head 82 having a valve seat 83. A valve 85 is connected to a float 81 by rods 88 and |0| and by lever |03 which is pivoted to the top head at |05. A hole |01 is provided in the top head to afford clearance for the rods and the lever and cover |09 encloses the hole, rods and lever. The float chamber is suspended from the deck plate by hangers ||0.

A conduit connects the liquid outlet 8l to the suction side of the pump.

The main outlet line ||3 from the filter-separator is connected to coupling 36 and leads into a liquid meter |5 which is fastened to the plate l The meter shown is of the positive displacement or volumetric type although any suitable meter may be used. The meter discharges into the conduit ||1 which has a check and relief valve ||9 to prevent backfiow of liquid except under high pressures. The conduit ||1 terminates in a hose |2| and a valve controlled nozzle |23. The nozzle may be suspended from a hook |24 welded to the conduit ||1 at a convenient height.

A power take-off mechanism |25 having a suitable gear ratio is driven by the meter output shaft (not shown) and in turn drives a register |21 through shaft |28 which extends through a hollow casing |3| and the register mounting plate |33 which is fixed to the top of the tube. The register shown is of the direct reading reset type and has a swivel base. Other registers, printers, predeterminers or combinations thereof may, of course, be used.

The power take off is also used to drive a check controlled predetermining device |35 through a flexible shaft and casing |31. The predetermining device is similar to that disclosed in Patent No. 2,247,480 to Damon, et al. The checks used, however. are preferably smaller in size than those used in filling station pumps and represent greater quantities of liquid. For instance, in filling station work a fifty-gallon token is used whereas the token used in this bulk unit would represent perhaps 250 or 500 gallons. The power take-off gearing must be properly selected for the particular meter used so that the dispensing apparatus will be disabled when the prepaid liquid has been dispensed.

The switch of predetermining device is incorporated into the wiring circuit as shown in Figure 6. The numeral |38 represents the main line having leads |4| into a motor starter |43. Leads |45 connect the starter with the motor |1. The control line |41 has a manually operated switch |48 connected in series with a switch |5| which is a part of the predeterminer |35. Switch |5| connects with line |53 which terminates in the starter. So long as either switch |49 or |5| is open the motor I1 remains deenergized.

The manual switch |48 is mounted on one of the uprights 5 and has an operating lever |56 (see Figures 3 and 4) which is connected to an angle clip |51 which in turn is secured to the switch pedal |59 by means of rod |6| passing through a hole in the angle clip and adjustably secured thereto by nuts |63. one on either side of the clip. The rod |6| passes up through a short pipe |63 which is screwed into a tapped hole in the deck plate from the top. The rod |8| is welded at its top end to a cap |65 which telescopes over the pipe |63. A slot |61 in the pipe provides a guide and a stop for the pin |68 which is fixed to and projects laterally from rod IBI at |13 and which enters a hole |1| near the bottom of the cap. The clip is welded to and supports a guide member |8| having on one end a forked end |83 which passes over the switch operating lever |55 adjacent the point where it enters the switch box and on the other end an upwardly open yoke |95. A locking slide |85 is mounted with its outer end riding in the yoke and has its outer tip |81 bent at right angles to provide a hold for the fingers and has an offset |88 at the opposite end which rides above the outer end of the operating lever |55 when the slide is in locking position. A longitudinal slot |8| is provided approximately midway between the ends of the slide. A shoulder screw |83 enters slot |9| as a guide and also secures the slide to the member |8I. A pin |91 is fixed to the member I8| below the slide and to the right of screw |83 to serve as an additional guide for the slide |15.

A stair or ladder |99 is detachably fastened to the deck plate by means of bolts 200. A guard rail 20| is mounted in flanges 203 secured to the deck plate, extends up from the deck along door side of the platform while the opposite or service side is unobstructed so that the operator can mount the tank of the transport whenever necessary.

The chassis l is provided with stationary housings 204 on three sides and side hinged doors 205 and 201 on the fourth side. One of the doors is provided with a notch 209 near its inner edge about midway up. the hole being large enough to pass over hose |2| but not large enough to pass the nozzle so that the nozzle |23 can be placed inside the housing and the doors 205 and 201 closed and locked by passing padlock 2| through the hole I6 of lug |4. 'I'he padlock itself obstructs the passage of the doors and thus keeps them closed against unauthorized persons.

Operation After the unit is installed upon a prepared mounting slab adjacent the drive way of the bulk station, the suction connection 26 of the unit is connected by piping to a bulk storage tank. The necessary power connection is made and the stair |88 is attached whereupon the unit is ready for service.

The system is capable of operation entirely by the drivers of the transports completely eliminating any bulk plant attendant. The tokens or @assenso checks which unlock the .system may bepnrchased at the oil company oloelor Lati'a barikor other i-authorized :depository.

Various methods may be used for controlling the insertion df tokens into fthe predeterminer units so that fa 'lower pricedtokenrcarmot be used in a .unit which is intendedto receive a token of .higher price. The token v.receiving .opening maybe tted'with selecting p'ins .as shownin vthe pat'ent 'to Arditi No. 1,995,493 or the opening .iin Lth'e unit .on the higher priced 'products may Lbe :made 'progressively smaller to preven't 'the 'insertion of aflowerpriced token.

The ytokens may represent any ,predetermined ,'gallonage. That is upon .the insertion o'f `one token, .a iixed gallonage will"be dispensed which isa function ofthe displacement of thegmeter and the gearing connecting the'meter and predeterminer. Usually this is so proportioned that one token will permit the dispensing of 500 gallons of liquid.

A transport truck is driven alongside the dispensing unit. The operator first unlocks lock 21| I, opens the doors, pulls out on slide |85 to free the switch, then inserts the number of tokens required to fill one or more of the compartments. If he wants more than one grade of fuel, he repeats this operation at the other units through which are dispensed the grades he wants.

I-Ie next mounts the platform 1 by way of the stairs |99, resets the register I 21 to zero, pulls up the switch pedal |59 thereby closing switch |49 and starting the motor |1 and pump I3. At this time the nozzle I 23 is closed and the pump is icy-passing. The operator takes the nozzle from hook |24, steps from the deck to the transport catwalk, opens the fill in the top of one of the compartments in the transport, and inserts the nozzle |23 into the ll. He then opens the nozzle valve and holds it open to discharge the quantity desired as shown by the register I 21 into the compartment, that is, of course, so long as the desired quantity does not exceed the quantity prepaid by the tokens inserted. Thus, if 3,000 gallons were prepaid, the operator may split the total quantity between the various compartments of the tank in any manner simply by closing the nozzle valve when the first quantity is shown on register |21 and then resetting the register and placing a second quantity in another compartment and so on until the entire credit is exhausted when the pump is automatically stopped.

If two or more grades are desired, they may be loaded at the same time from the dispensers connected to the tanks in which such grades are stored. When the deposited checks in any pre- -determiner are expended the switch II is opened stopping the motor and no more liquid can be dispensed until more checks are deposited into the predetermining device. When the desired quantity of liquid has been delivered the operator closes the nozzle valve and restores the nozzle to the hook. Upon closing and locking the doors, the door strikes slide |85 and turns switch lever |55 to open the switch.

Of course, if the station is operated by an attendant, the loading of the tank truck can be accomplished by prepaying an excess volume of liquid and dispensing it by the nozzle valve by observing the register I 21. In this case the motor may be stopped by depressing the plunger |65 and restarted by lifting the plunger as often as desired until the prepaid quantity has been dispensed.

JEtzis .obvious Sth-atm predetermining `which is `manuallypreset such fas 'that vshownf-m Patent`1No. 412;228;820 '-to Griffith et al. 'fmay fbe fused with-theregister 21 .orza ticketiprintermafy :be substituted "for" theregister I Hand -usedwith lor'withoutsuchi-manualpredeterminer.

The path of the Hiqu'id bein'g delivered "fis 'through piping '2:5 fand fstrainer 121., pump I3, piping 29, ivi-iter I`3I 'wherefllne particles fot dirt pipe :scale,' etc., :that :may maare Vmassedfflthe :strainer `faire removed. miqui'd leaves the 'filter 'through @piping .iII 3, "passes ito .meter -z-lft5 where 'the liquid iis .measured thence ithrough'fpiping :III .1 iand 'check waive IEI 9,'fh'ose `B2i, tofnozzle '923.

"fne'mieter f||-5 iadvances fa :resettable register fI-ZfI, orfother mechanism zby .w'ay fof the-Lpowr takeccff :and .shaft 129 fand decreases ithe #deiposite'd check vvadue -[the ipredeterminm'g device |35 by an amount equal to that dispensed. A ilexible shaft and casing |31 connects the check preset predetermining device to the power take off |25.

The filter shown is a cylindrical cartridge type using resin impregnated cellulose cartridges and ilow of liquid to be filtered is from the outside in. Gauge 49 in the inlet side of the lter and gauge 48 on the outlet side of the lter are used to determine the differential pressure required to lter the liquid through the cartridges. When the differential pressure rises to a predetermined value to show aplugging of the cartridges, the illter head 45 is removed and the cartridges 4I are replaced.

The air is gravitationally separated from the liquid in the lter tank, the air or gases displaced upon entry of liquid into the filter passes through the valve 50 into the iloat chamber 85. The liquid rising in the filter tank and starting to escape past the valve 11 closes valve except for the small orifice formed by the mutilation 58 which will permit passage of considerable gas mixed with small amounts of liquid, or, if no gas is present, a small stream of liquid, into the iloat chamber 85. When the liquid level drops in the filter tank, due to the accumulation of gas, the valve 11 will be opened by the action of spring BI and will permit a great quantity of gas to be discharged very quickly so that no gas will pass to the meter The gas in the iioat chamber is vented to the atmosphere through the conduit 89, the outlet of which is elevated above the level of the oat chamber. The liquid in the float chamber collects until it raises float 91 suihciently to lift valve 95 oif its seat 93, whereupon the liquid in the float chamber is returned to the pump suction through conduit |II. As the liquid level in the float chamber drops the float will follow the seat valve 95.

When desired, the nozzle I 23 may be placed inside the housing with the hose extending through the hole 209 in the door 205 and the switch lever |55 locked to hold switch |49 in its open position by pushing in the lever |85. With the doors closed and the padlock 2II inserted through the hole I6 the switch lever |55 is immobilized and the nozzle |23 is locked inside the cabinet.

Steps |99 provide means for the operator to reach the deck 1. The guard rail 20| is so arranged that When the dispensing units are lined up in batteries the rail is practically continuous and the deck plates form a continuous elevated walk so the attendant may use the steps on the end unit to reach any of the units in the battery.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a liquid dispensing apparatus, the combination of a frame, a housing supported thereby and comprising an elevated deck and a door on one side, dispensing means disposed within the housing comprising a pump, a motor for the pump and means for energizing and deenergizing the motor, control means extending above the level ot the deck for operating said energizing means. and means operable by said door when it is in 8 closed position, for locking said control means against operation.

HOMER R. TALMAGE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,867,602 Stukenborg July 19, 1932 1,872,418 Davis Aug. 16, 1932 2,021,544 Crown Nov. 19, 1935 2,124,681 Jauch et al July 26, 1938 2,138,755 Bechtold Nov. 29, 1938 2,171,707 Logan et al. Sept. 5, 1939 2,180,619 Strum Nov. 21, 1939 2,186,069 Hazard Jan. 9, 1940 2,223,112 Lear Nov. 26, 1940 2,269,937 Hart Jan. 13, 1943 

